For you, does photography emerge more as a gesture of capturing the world or reinventing it? To what extent is the image you construct a document, and at what point does it become expression?

In my mind, my photography lives between documentation and imagination. When I was a kid, I liked to blur the line between reality and fantasy as a way to cope with a lot of things I went through. Growing up evangelical, being queer, experiencing homophobia at home, in school, etc., I needed to escape into something that was not really real. I had a need in me to express myself artistically, and I was never encouraged to, but I would always look for ways to do so secretly though. That search for self-expression stayed with me until I found photography, and what drew me to it was not the technicality of it, but the final results I could get utilizing it.

I started in 2020 when my boyfriend told me he thought I could do it professionally, and that opened a door I never thought existed. I started working with musicians and models, eventually moved to Los Angeles, and now I work as an editorial photographer, but the thing is that my passion does not only live in the moment I press capture in the studio; it lives after, in the post-process, in constructing the image rather than just photographing it and calling it a day. My work takes the reality I capture with my camera and transforms it into something else drastically or even very subtly. Through editing, through directing, I blend that photograph with the fantasy I have in my head to create a narrative. I can present reality in a way that looks unreal, or something very edited in a way that feels real. But it is always in service of a story, because for me, every photograph is trying to tell something. Photography is a tool for storytelling, and that story does not end when I take the picture; it continues with all of my processes, whether they are digital or manual.

You understand photography not as an end, but as a means to construct images, a territory of free experimentation. How does this thinking run through your process, especially in the mix between digital and manual techniques?

Photography for me is not about perfection or technical skills; it is a tool I use to tell stories. When I started, I knew I wanted to do editorial photography, it was the only kind that excited me, so I made a choice early on that I would only pursue this branch of photography because it was what interested me, and I would learn as I went. I did not study photography first and then apply it; in fact, I never went to school for it. I learned to edit while learning how to work with a camera, lighting, and everything else relevant to me, figuring things out in real time. This meant I was always experimenting, always trying new things, trying to make my images exciting, fresh, different, a bit unsettling, and that felt natural to me. But around a couple of years in, things became a bit different to me; I started getting more focused on polish and perfection because I wanted to be seen as a serious, skilled photographer. I spent a couple of years trying my best to make my work look clean and perfect, sometimes so heavily edited that you would never see the editing itself. The masking had to be seamless, the colors had to be perfect, everything had to look intentional, and that was important for me to show that I was not just experimental but also technically capable.

Now, I feel like I am finding a good balance. I want to be just as experimental as I am technical. I want my work to have that edge again, that sense of always trying to do something new for fun, while still having the polish and cohesion that makes it feel intentional and professional looking. I get bored easily, so I am sure I will keep finding new ways to make my images look different. Right now, I feel like I am in a really good place where both things exist together. And this is where the manual work becomes so important to me. I like to print my images sometimes, scan them in weird ways, cut them, and I like to texture them with my hands. There is something magical about holding your work physically in your hands. I think that comes from when, as a kid, I was fascinated by physical media like CDs, magazine covers, things I could actually hold. That fascination definitely translates into my work. Seeing my photos on a vinyl, on a magazine cover, on a poster, that is something a screen can never give you. When I am free to explore and create with my work, the results feel the most authentic to me. My images live in curiosity and experimentation, in the willingness to make cool stuff without limitations. That is where my passion actually lives.

How do your Brazilian roots influence your perspective and the aesthetic of your work?

Growing up in Brazil influenced my work today in ways that I couldn’t see before, but now I do. When resources are limited, people find new and different ways to create, and that is the reality of most creatives in Brazil. Those different approaches bring something fresh and authentic. These things become references and trends that people everywhere want to follow. Brazil is also a country so rich in culture! So many different regions and peoples with their own stories. For a long time, we looked outside at other countries and imported culture from other places, especially the US. But now, Brazilian people are really proud of who we are and what we export to the world: music, our cuisine, our fashion, etc. Growing up in a culture so rich and so proud of itself, shaped how I see things and how I work. And I do believe that Brazilian editorial photography is among the best in the world.

What were the biggest creative and professional challenges you faced when inserting yourself into such a competitive scene?

I started photography at 22, with no background in it. I didn’t know how to work a camera, edit, do business, book jobs, or approach people for test shoots. I learned everything on the go, and because of that, it took me a few years before I could do photography full time. If I had known more about it all earlier, I probably would have been able to live off it sooner. But I don’t blame myself, because I believe the time it takes to accomplish something is the time you actually need, because repetition teaches you so much, and by the time you reach your goal, you have learned enough to keep moving forward. Creatively, the biggest challenge was finding my voice. I knew I wanted to shoot music-related projects and editorials, but there are so many ways of being a photographer. I wanted my work to be sharp and confrontational, but I also needed to work on things that were digestible enough in order to make money and be somehow successful in what I do, even though I do not believe that is how it works for everyone.

Being very specific about what I wanted to shoot from the start helped me having a consistency I would need in the future. Professionally, the biggest challenge was not knowing how to run the business side of this career. I came from a family with no money, so I didn’t know how to handle finances or the professional aspects of being self-employed. I learned that talent alone sometimes isn’t enough. You also need to be professional, reliable, and also present yourself as a business. People need to trust that you’ll deliver what they need and be consistent with your results. The language barrier made this harder too. English isn’t my first language, and even though I can write carefully and think of things to say, speaking in conversations sometimes is hard for me. I have been in several meetings in which I thought my modest way of speaking decreased my chances of booking jobs. But I’ve learned not to put so much pressure on me about it. I just have to be myself and let my skills do the work.

How do you define the visual signature that sets you apart today?

It’s funny when people tell me my work has a signature look, because honestly, I can’t really see my “aesthetic”. I see my work as being versatile, and I take pride in that. I like to reinvent myself and work with different processes to get different results. A consistent aesthetic can be beautiful, but it can also get boring if you only do one thing over and over. So I don’t want to be trapped inside a box. That said, there are things I always do that are what people may recognize. My work is heavily textured, for example; if you zoom into a HiRes image I made, you’ll see texture everywhere. I love that process because it gives the images a timeless feel and removes that overly digital quality that sometimes doesn’t work for my work. I always color my photos too.

Depending on what I need to deliver, it can be cinematic and moody but still realistic, or it can completely erase realism and just be colored in a crazy way. Another thing I’m always doing, even without realizing it sometimes, is showing a female gaze in my photography. I grew up around strong women; they were always in charge in my family. I think that shaped how I see women and how powerful they are. I feel like I mostly get booked to shoot women, even though it is not a direct preference. But beyond that, I can’t really pinpoint what makes my work look like my work. People sometimes tell me specific images remind them of my work, and when I look at what they mean, I don’t always see it myself. It confuses me a little bit, and makes me realize how subjective everything is; that is why it is tricky for me to understand what my “aesthetic” is… and maybe I will never know. I confess that that sounds a bit terrifying to me.

What horizon does your photography project for the future?

For the future, things are shaping up how I wanted them to be. I work in fashion and music, which are my two passions. Music was one of the reasons I started photography in the first place, and I’ve grown to love fashion even more since then. I’m nowhere near where I want to be right now, but I think I’m on the right way to get there. I don’t know how long it will take, but I have faith that it will be soon. I want to keep working with other creatives and artists and taking on bigger projects, doing bigger things like I’ve been doing as of recently.

I just completed my biggest music project yet. I shot Kehlani’s upcoming album cover, and that project gave me so much confidence and validation! So much trust was put into me and my skills. I’m excited about where things are heading, but for now, I am enjoying the ride and trying to learn as much as possible on the way!

TEAM CREDITS:

Editor-in-Chief: Prince Chenoa

Editor Brazil: Leonardo Loreto (@leonardoloreto)

Writer: Gillian Caetano (@gilliancaetano)